Beat the Heat and Check Your Feet It’s been said by fans of summer that “Life is better in flip-flops,” and you have to admit there’s nothing quite like the feel of warm sea water washing over your toes or a cool breeze caressing your feet on a hot day. If there’s any part of your body that deserves a vacation this summer, it’s your hardworking feet. So while you’re flip-flopping around and enjoying all the sensations that summer has to offer this year, take the opportunity to assess the health of your lower extremities. It’s always a good idea to check for typical foot issues such as blisters, corns, calluses, ingrown toenails or toenail fungus, and wounds that aren’t healing properly (the latter can indicate type 2 diabetes). Specifically, however, we want you to check for signs of swelling in your feet and ankles. If your skin appears shiny and tightly-stretched, you may be experiencing edema, the medical term for swelling. Can’t tell? Try pressing your thumb gently against your skin for 15 seconds and then letting go. If your thumb leaves an indentation, you’re probably swollen. Sodium, Salt, and Swelling There are many potential causes of foot and ankle swelling, and some are far more serious than others, so it’s important that you see a doctor as soon as possible after you’ve identified swelling in your own feet. That being said, the most common cause of edema is too much sodium in the bloodstream—a severe and widespread problem that’s nonetheless solvable. Sodium’s purpose in the body is to help maintain blood volume and blood pressure by regulating how much water the body takes in and holds on to. An excess of sodium causes the body to retain more water than usual, which causes tissues in the legs and feet to swell. Extra fluid in the body also causes blood volume to increase, which raises blood pressure by making the heart work harder. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend a daily intake of only 2,300 mg of sodium, and the American Heart Association recommends even less: 1,500 mg for optimum heart health, especially for seniors, African Americans, and anyone with a chronic illness like diabetes or high blood pressure. However, according to the CDC, the average American consumes at least 3,300 mg of sodium per day—and that’s not...

Introducing a Medical Miracle What if we told you there was a way to extend your lifespan by delaying or completely preventing the types of chronic illness that lead to an early death? Would you assume we were talking about an experimental wonder drug, or maybe some type of expensive treatment only available overseas? If so, you’d be wrong. The real answer is much simpler, safer, and more affordable than that, and you can find it at your local grocery store. We’re talking, of course, about a healthy diet. That’s right: The secret to long life isn’t found in million-dollar spa treatments or genetic modification—it’s held within the foods we eat every day. A popular holistic health guru puts it this way: “Every time you eat or drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it.” And the very best way to protect your body against potentially devastating chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome is to follow a plant-based diet. What is a Plant-Based Diet? A plant-based diet is simply a diet that is composed mainly of plants rather than meat and animal-based foods. Animal-based foods include beef, pork, venison, and other red meats as well as poultry, eggs, lard, milk and dairy products, fish, and other seafood like shrimp and crab. These are the foods that you should limit, depending on which type of plant-based diet you choose to follow. So what types of plant-based diets are there? Let’s take a look: Vegans eat no meat or animal-based foods at all. Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs, but no other meat or animal-based foods Lacto-vegetarians consume milk and other dairy products, but no other animal-based foods. Ovo-lacto vegetarians eat eggs and dairy products, but no other animal-based foods. Pesco-vegetarians consume fish, but no other animal-based foods. Partial vegetarians (aka flexitarians) eat a vegetarian diet the majority of the time, but may indulge in fish or poultry a few times a week. As you can see, following a plant-based diet doesn’t have to mean giving up meat entirely. You have complete freedom to choose whichever type of plant-based diet best suits your lifestyle and personal preferences. Why You Should Follow a Plant-Based Diet Plant-based diets have gotten a bad rap in the past because previous studies tended to focus on the nutritional deficiencies they may potentially...

Beat the Heat and Check Your Feet It’s been said by fans of summer that “Life is better in flip-flops,” and you have to admit there’s nothing quite like the feel of warm sea water washing over your toes or a cool breeze caressing your feet on a hot day. If there’s any part of your body that deserves a vacation this summer, it’s your hardworking feet. So while you’re flip-flopping around and enjoying all the sensations that summer has...

Introducing a Medical Miracle What if we told you there was a way to extend your lifespan by delaying or completely preventing the types of chronic illness that lead to an early death? Would you assume we were talking about an experimental wonder drug, or maybe some type of expensive treatment only available overseas? If so, you’d be wrong. The real answer is much simpler, safer, and more affordable than that, and you can find it at...

Have you ever heard that “Fresh Is Best” when it comes to fruits and vegetables? It’s true! But one of the reasons may surprise you. You probably know that fresh vegetables DO NOT contain the unnecessary salt, fat, sugar and preservatives that most canned and pre-prepared items do. And the fresher the produce, the greater the nutrient value. So “Fresh Is Best” in terms of health benefits. But you may...

A lot of us have seen our first snow (or frost, at least) of the winter and we enjoy warming ourselves up with a tasty, steamy bowl of soup. But is it a good idea to make soup a regular part of our diet? The short answers are no, maybe, and yes! “No” on regular canned soup, “maybe” on nutrient-modified canned soup, and “yes!” on prepared-at-home soup with the right ingredients. Are canned soups...